First-of-its-kind bookstore making Black history in Dallas County community
FARMERS BRANCH - Black history is being made in the Dallas County community of Farmers Branch.
A first-of-its-kind bookstore brings Black culture and voices together in a literary shop.
It is a room of reverence, a bibliography in black, culled and collected by Nia-Taylor Clark, a former school teacher and now bookstore owner.
"This started as a result of a comment from a comment a student made in my class in 2019," Clark said. "He said, 'I don't read miss. I'm Black.'"
Those words fueled a force now known as Black Lit Bookstore, a small shop in Farmers Branch.
"Black Lit stands for Black and literate," said Clark. "It's a reminder that you can be both ... When I looked at my student I could see my son, and I thought, 'my son will turn into my student if I don't figure out how to do something.'"
Clark's "something" is an array of books for children and adults. Classics and new offerings. All were created by Black writers and illustrators. There's artwork and clothing.
"This is a family bookstore," she added. "A community bookstore, truly for everybody. Even those who aren't black, we have stories to share with them as well."
Clark opened the storefront just two years ago, a first for Farmers Branch.
It's a bookstore that boasts Blackness, that hoists stories from Black voices. Books to build up her son and broaden any Black child's possibilities.
There, Black and literate are one and the same.